Stencil card



K L' M- BARMAN Filed Dem 9. 1922 1n11cm.:

, stencils are then cut in a typewritin .35

Patented Mu. 24,1925. Y

UNITED STATES Y. y1,531,249 PATENT oFFlcE.

LOUIS EAUBICE'BARMAN, OF HOLBORN, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO RONEO LIMITE), 0F LONDON, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY.

sTnNcIL chan.

Application illed December 9, 1922. Serial No. 605,881.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Loms MAURICE BAR- MAN, a citizenof the United States residing at Holborn, county of London, and Kingdom of England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stencil Cards,- of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to combined filing and stencil cards for addressing machines of the type wherein a card, which may beof any suitable size according to the desired regulrements, is provided with suitable data or use as a constituent part of a card index and filing system, and is also rovided with a cut out portion in which is p aceda stencil having the name and address of the party cut therein for use with an addressing machine. These combined filing and addressing machine cards must be constructed of.

strong substantiall rigid material of suicient thickness to old the stencil in a flat condition for use with the addressin machine and to withstand the wear incidental to the automatic feeding of the cards through the ,addressin machine as well as the handling to whic lthe cards are freuently sub]ected. It has heretofore been t e common practice to secure the stencil between twogpieces of ,stiff cardboard in the course of."'construction of the cardl and to furnish the user of the addressing machine and system with the cards on which the blank stencll has already been mounted. The

machine by the user of the system with t e desired names and addresses. These stencil cards when constructed as heretofore set l forth' have many objectionable features in an ordinary typewriter as the stiff cardsA obviously can 1 not be curved .around the platen roller, hence it becomes necessary in ,the installation of the system to vprovide a s cial typewriting machine adapted'to cut t e stencil when held upon the flat lcard, thereby adding a considerable extra cost to' the installation. n y

Again, it is practically. impossible in con-- lstl'llcting the cards by the oldl manner to Vwhile t objections the kee the stencil in a erfectly smooth fiat an taut condition, and) they are frequently quite loose thus causing thel st enciLto sag and wrinkle and this condition is aggravated by the fact that as the material used for the stencil is not a wax stencil but is a thin,rhard and parchment like paper which must be softened by dampening or wetting before the typing thereof. Due to this wetting of the paper, the stencil exhibits tendency to yield and stretch under the impacts of the tiype in the cutting of the stencil and ere is a certain shrinkage of the stencil during the drying thereof, this shrinkage can not act to tighten the stencil because the edges of the stencil are firmly held between thelayers of the card. Therefore it will be obvious that with the old construction the stencils are frequently con-- siderably loose and wrinkled and as the cards are designed to be used as a part of a cabinet filing system, when the ,cards are placed back in the cabinet after being used in the addressing machine the uninked side -of the stencils are frequently smeared with ink by the inked side of the stencil of an adjacent card. As the ink used is a non-drying ink and the stencils are non-absorbent, thls smearing of the uninked side of the stencil produces a corresponding smear upon the envelopes ,or letters when cards are run through the addressing machine.

It is therefore an. object of this inventlon to providea new and improved construction of a stencil card of the type set forth which .will obviate the objections heretofore set completed card withv a cut stencil mounted 'i thereon as a constituent p-art thereof.

For the accomplishment of these and such further objects as will be apparent to those skilled-in the art to which this appertains, the invention consists not only vin the construction of the card and the combination and arrangement of the parts thereof, but also lin the method -of making or constructing the completed card withthe cutstencil attached thereto asy hereinafter `specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations" and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended. i

In'the drawings- Fig. 1 isY a plan view of an addressing machine card of the type adapted to also be used asia card for a card index filing system, showing the card before the stencil has been secured thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the stencil adapted te be attached to the card shown in Fig. 1. Y

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the card with the cut stencil` attached thereto.

Fig. 4 is a section on Athe line 4--4 of Fig. 3, and .Y Y

.Fig 5 is a section through a card and the apparatus used in connection with the 'operation of securing the cut stencil to the card.

As shown in the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the combined filing and addressing machine card which is cut out to form a rectangular opening 11.

The card 10 is provided with a depressed or recessed portion 12 extending inwardly for a short distance from and surrounding the edges of the opening 11 to receive the stencil 13. The edges of the stencil 13 have secured thereto a rectangular frame 14 preferably of a strong manilla paper, the dimensions of the frame being such th'at it will coincide with the recessed portion 12 of the card, and the thickness of the material of which the frame is constructed being equal to the depth of the depressed or recessed portion 12 as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5 so as to produce a smooth even surfacl when the stencil has been secured to the car The manner in which my` improvedmethod of making the completed cut out stencil combined with the filing card is carried out is as follows, the user of the system isprovided with a supply of cards constructed as shown in Fig. 1 of the Vdrawing and also `with a supply of blank stencils as shown in Fig. 2. If a combined card and stencil is to be made up, the stencil, which as shown in Fig. 2 comprises the stencil paper portion per se and the frame or panel portion 14, and which obviously constitutes a relatively thin and j flexible unit may be inserted directly7 in an ordinary typewriter and because of its flexibility it will readily conform to and may be fed around the usual roller platen without .dificulty and without injury to the stencil. As heretofore set forth, due to the character of the material used for the stencil paper, it must first be dampened so as to soften the paper before being placed in the typewriter. -The desired name and address is then typed upon or cut out'of the stencil which is then removed and secured to the card 10 while in its dampenedcondition.

For convenience in assembling the card and stencil I rovide a block 15 as shown in Fig. 5 whlch block is provided with a projection 16, the height of which is just e ual to the thickness of the card 10, at the e ges of the opening 11, and the dimensions of which `are suitablyAproport-ioned to provide a neat fit when in said opening 11.

A cardrlO is placed upon the block with the opening 11 receiving the portion 16, and the cut and dampened stencil 13 is securedl to the recessed 'portionY 12 with theY frame or panel 14 overlying the stencil. In placing the paneled stencil upon the card, the edges of the panel are aligned with edges of the recessed portion 12 and the stencil is smoothed out to cause it to lie in an unwrinkled condition, the upper face of the projection 16 serving to support the stencil during the smoothing thereof as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The stencil may be secured to the card with any suitable adhesive or by ironing. After the stencil hasbeen secured to the card. the completed card is placed aside to allow the stencil to dry. As the stencil has been smoothed out and secured to the card while it is damp, it is stretched somewhat during the smoothing operation and as the adhesive will set sufliciently to hold the stencil securely before it has completely dried, the natural shrinkage of the stencil paper during the remainder ofthe drying process causes it to assume a perfectly smooth and taut condition in its final completely mounted form. The stencil cards when used as a composite filing and addressing machine card, are, as shown in the drawings, of suflicient size to permit the desired ilingdata to be placed upon the upper part of the card, it being understood that suitable indicating data is provided adjacent the upper edge of the card in a position to be readily visible when the cards are placed in the customary filing cabinet. While I have shown the stencil in Fig. 2 as a single unit, the stencils may for convenience in feeding them through the typewriting machine be formed into a sheet containing a plurality of stencils. It will be obvious that the construction of the stencil as'herein set forth and the method of assembling the card is equally applicable to aplain addressing machine card of smaller dimensions which are used only for addressing purposes and not provided withany data for use with a filing system.

While I have described the stencil as being of that type which must be dampened to soften the stencil aper before the impressions are cut therein, it will be obvious that the construction of the carddisclosed herein would ibe equally applicable -to a stencil aper lwhich would not require to be ampened.

ting or dampening the stencil to soften it then cutting the stencil before it is mounted upon the card, smoothing and stretching the stencil while securing it upon the card while in its dampened condition, and thereafter permitting the stencil to dry whereby the shrinkage of the stencil during the drying thereof "will cause it to be secured to the card ina smooth taut condition.

2. The method of making -an addressing machine stencil. card which consists in weting or dampening the stencil to soften'it, then cutting the stencil before it is mounted upon the card, smoothing and stretching the stencil while securing it upon the card while in its dampened condition while supporting the entireunder face of the stencil, and thereafter permitting the stencil to dry whereby the shrinkage of the stencil during the drying thereof will cause it to be secured to the card in a smoothtaut condition.

3. An addressing machine stencil card, comprising a rigid card provided with an opening and with a depressed or recessed portion surrounding said opening, a stencil stretched across said opening and secured at its outer margin to said depressed portion of the rigid card, and a frame secured to the outer margin of said stencil, and lying vwithin said depressed portion ofthe rigid card.

4. An addressing machme stencil card comprising a rigid card provlded with an opening and with a depressed or recessed portion surrounding saidopening, a stencil stretched across said opening and secured at its outer margin to said depressed portion of the rigid card, and a frame secured to the outer margin of said stencil lying within said depressed portion of the rigid card with its outerl face iush with the surface of the main portion of the rigidvcard.

5. A stencil card formed of a rigid body extending in a single plane and having an upper and a lower section, the lower section being provided with an opening and a depressed inner margin surrounding said opening, a frame arranged Within said depressed inner margin of said lower section and a stencil stretched upon said frame with theouter margin of said stencil secured to said frame.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.

Louis MAURICE BARMAN. 

